Presenting or sharing state in presence

ABSTRACT

Presentation and/or sharing status related information about a user is provided through a presence channel to alert existing or potential participants in a communication session. When the user is in a display sharing environment, giving a presentation, or sharing a display screen with other users, his/her state is detected. A presence status display may then be provided to other users in communication with the user or attempting to establish a communication session with the user alerting them that the user has duplicated their display onto other screens or display devices or has shared their desktop with one or more other users. A number of heuristics may be employed to determine presenting or sharing state of the user such as detection of display sharing, active presentation applications, calendar entries, active communication applications, facial detection through image capture devices, and the like.

BACKGROUND

Modern communication systems employ features and capabilities ofcomputers, computer networks, and general purpose/specialized softwareto facilitate multimodal communications. For example, co-workers caninitiate a video communication session from their respective desktops tocollaborate on a project, exchange text messages, sharedata/applications, etc. without having to leave their offices or a needfor specialized equipment.

Traditional display sharing environments include presentationenvironments, where a user may give a presentation to one or more otherindividuals by duplicating a program or application on the user'scomputing device display screen onto large projection screens. In otherdisplay sharing environments, a user may share the user's desktop withanother user over a network connection, or the user may present directlyfrom the user's computing device to multiple users who may directly viewthe user's display screen. In any of these example display sharingenvironments, a portion of or the entire display screen is typicallyduplicated and shared with the viewers, such that email notifications,chat windows, message windows, alerts and other similar applications arevisible to the viewers. In some cases viewers of a presentation may viewpersonal information from the presenter's computing device displayduring a presentation and the notifications, messages and alerts mayinterrupt the display sharing environment, interfering with anddisrupting a demonstration or presentation.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to exclusively identify keyfeatures or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is itintended as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

Embodiments are directed to providing presentation or sharing statusrelated information about a user through a presence channel to alertexisting or potential participants in a communication session. A systemaccording to embodiments may detect when the user is in a displaysharing environment, giving a presentation, or sharing a display screenwith other users. A presence status display may then be provided toother users in communication with the user or attempting to establish acommunication session with the user alerting them that the user hasduplicated their display onto other screens or display devices or hasshared their desktop with one or more other users. A number ofheuristics may be employed to determine presenting or sharing state ofthe user such as detection of display sharing, active presentationapplications, calendar entries, active communication applications,facial detection through image capture devices, and the like. Accordingto other embodiments, a user may be enabled to configure their systemsuch that conversations in selected modalities are blocked when the useris in a presenting mode. A presence status display according toembodiments may include any immersive experience, where a user may notwant to get interrupted. The result is a status display that is slightlyless strong than “Do not disturb” which may block all conversations, butstronger than “Busy” which may allow incoming communications.

These and other features and advantages will be apparent from a readingof the following detailed description and a review of the associateddrawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing generaldescription and the following detailed description are explanatory anddo not restrict aspects as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a presentation mode in a collaborativeenvironment;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of shared display mode in a collaborativeenvironment;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example presence status display that may bepresented in a collaborative environment;

FIG. 4 illustrates example components of a system for providing apresentation/sharing status through presence information;

FIG. 5 is a networked environment, where a system according toembodiments may be implemented;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example computing operating environment,where embodiments may be implemented; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a logic flow diagram for a process of providing apresence status display for presentation or sharing state in acollaborative environment according to embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As briefly described above, presentation or sharing status relatedinformation about a user may be provided through a presence channel toalert existing or potential participants in a communication session. Apresence status display may provide specific information regardingwhether a user's device is in a presenting mode, sharing a display withother users, or in other similar collaborative display modes and whenfuture presentations and display sharing may be scheduled. When a user'sdevice is in an active presenting mode, a presence status display mayindicate (in addition to regular presence information such as “Busy”,“Out of Office”, etc.) that a particular user is actively sharing theuser's display with one or more other users. Based on the statusinformation provided in the presence status display, another user maydetermine an appropriate time and method of communication with thepresenting user and may act accordingly. Presenting status display isjust one representation according to embodiments. An auto response oreven voice prompts prior to another person dialing/calling the user inthe presenting state may be employed according to other embodiments.Thus, the presenting status may be used as a signal before initiating anaudio/video call, where the initiator may not have been paying attentionto visual signal or does not have capability to view presence.

In the following detailed description, references are made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown byway of illustrations specific embodiments or examples. These aspects maybe combined, other aspects may be utilized, and structural changes maybe made without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentdisclosure. The following detailed description is therefore not to betaken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention isdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

While the embodiments will be described in the general context ofprogram modules that execute in conjunction with an application programthat runs on an operating system on a computing device, those skilled inthe art will recognize that aspects may also be implemented incombination with other program modules.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, datastructures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasksor implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled inthe art will appreciate that embodiments may be practiced with othercomputer system configurations, including hand-held devices,multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and comparablecomputing devices. Embodiments may also be practiced in distributedcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed computing environment, program modules may be located inboth local and remote memory storage devices.

Embodiments may be implemented as a computer-implemented process(method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as acomputer program product or computer readable media. The computerprogram product may be a computer storage medium readable by a computersystem and encoding a computer program that comprises instructions forcausing a computer or computing system to perform example process(es).The computer-readable storage medium can for example be implemented viaone or more of a volatile computer memory, a non-volatile memory, a harddrive, a flash drive, a floppy disk, or a compact disk, and comparablemedia.

Throughout this specification, the term “platform” may be a combinationof software and hardware components for providing a compact control menuover an interactive touch interface and detecting user touch input forexpanding the control menu and executing commands. Examples of platformsinclude, but are not limited to, a hosted service executed over aplurality of servers, an application executed on a single computingdevice, and comparable systems. The term “server” generally refers to acomputing device executing one or more software programs typically in anetworked environment. However, a server may also be implemented as avirtual server (software programs) executed on one or more computingdevices viewed as a server on the network. More detail on thesetechnologies and example operations is provided below.

Referring to FIG. 1, diagram 100 illustrates an example of apresentation mode in a collaborative environment, where embodiments maybe implemented. The computing device and user interface environmentshown in diagram 100 are for illustration purposes. Embodiments may beimplemented in various local, networked, and similar computingenvironments employing a variety of computing devices and systems. Acollaborative environment may be a network of two or more computingdevices, such as for example, a laptop computer, desktop computer, smartphone, tablet, or touch enabled device ('client devices') allowing usersto interact with other users using the devices.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a configuration of apresentation mode environment, where a presenting user (the “publisher”)102 may display information from the publisher's computing device 106over a display screen 104. In a typical presentation mode environment100, a publisher 102 may duplicate the display from the publisher'scomputing device 106 onto one or more screens or other display devices,such as a projection screen 104, in order to give a presentation tomultiple users, for example. Generally, when the computing device'sdisplay is duplicated onto the display screen 104, a portion of or theentire display may be duplicated, including email notifications, chatwindows, message windows, alerts and other similar applications, suchthat viewers of a presentation may view personal information from thepresenter's computing device display during a presentation. Thepublisher may desire to alert other users that he/she is busy andunavailable during a presentation, so that the publisher does notreceive communication requests, emails, and/or chats while thepresentation is active. Additionally, a publisher may wish to deactivatecommunication windows and other alerts during a presentation. Accordingto some embodiments, the user may not directly share a screen (desktop)or project onto a display, but actually present or share by remotelycontrolling some content. For example, the user may share a web link fora presentation and remotely control what is displayed on that web page.

In a system according to embodiments, a presence status display may berendered in response to detection of a presentation mode. A presencestatus display may be provided over a network communication channel 120on display screens 110 of multiple users 112 ability to display any kindof presence status. In other words, displayed presence information maydirectly show that the publisher's display is being shared, or the datamay be abstracted away and a more generic statement such as “User isPresenting” (or even more generic like “User does not wish to bedisturbed”) provided. In addition, other information may be derived fromthe presenting status such as “User is In a Meeting” or “User is locatedin the Office”, especially if the presenting status is combined withother presence information already available. A presenting user's activeparticipation in a presentation mode such as the publisher's computingdevice 106 being duplicated onto a projection screen 104 may bedisplayed. The presence status display may contain specific informationregarding whether the publisher's device is actively being used todeliver a presentation and other users 112 may use the statusinformation provided on the presence status display to determine if andwhen a presenting user may be available for communication.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a shared display mode in acollaborative environment. Shared display modes may take many forms, anda system according to embodiments may employ a variety of differentmethods to detect shared display mode on the part of a publisher in acommunication. For example, user 202's computing device 206 may bephysically connected to a secondary display 212 potentially indicatingthat a second user 212 may be seeing the displayed content on secondarydisplay 212. The secondary display may be a monitor, a projector, orsimilar display system. Computing device 206 may also be coupled toanother computing device 204 over a wired and/or wireless network anduser 202 may share desktop (or an application) with user 214 thatenables user 214 to view a portion of the entire desktop of user 202 onhis/her computing device 204. The display sharing may also be over awireless connection (radio frequency waves, optical connection, etc.)such as the depicted connection between computing device 206 and display210 allowing user 222 to view the desktop of user 202.

According to other embodiments, one or more other people may watch overthe user's shoulder his/her display. This may be detected by employing acamera 208 attached to computing device 206 and performing facialdetection, for example. In place of or in addition to image detectiontechniques, audio detection techniques using one or more microphonesattached to the user's computing device (in this case the user acting asthe publisher). Additional shared display detection methods may includedetecting whether one or more sharing, presentation, and/orcommunication applications are active on the user's computing device.Furthermore, a physical location of the computing device (geospatiallocation and/or location relative to an infrastructure such as abuilding map) may also be employed to detect shared display orpresentation mode for the publisher. For example, if the user isdetermined to be in a location such as a conference room, a conventioncenter, an auditorium, a classroom or other public location where theuser's display device may be viewable by multiple users, this mayindicate shared display or presentation mode triggering the alertmechanism for other users that may be in an existing communicationsession or attempting to establish a communication session with theuser.

In another example, the system may use calendar scheduling fordetermining whether a user is in a presentation or sharing mode. Thesystem may determine based on scheduled events in a user's calendar asto when a sharing or presentation event is scheduled and update thepresence status display during specific date and time blocks for one ormore users. The presence status display may be updated to reflect whichuser is giving the presentation, and also, which users are also involvedin sharing or viewing the presentation, based on schedule informationrecognized from a calendared event. Thus, a system according toembodiments may not only determine whether a user is in a shared displayor presentation mode, but also who may be sharing the user's display orviewing his/her presentation.

The system may use the various methods and techniques for recognizingand detecting that a particular user is presenting or sharing the user'scomputing device display independently. The system may also utilize themethods and techniques concurrently, where the system uses two or moreof the techniques to recognize a display sharing mode or to detect thepresence of two or more users in order to determine that a user is in asharing or presentation environment and to update a presence statusdisplay reflecting the presenting status of one or more users in thesharing environment. Using more than one detection method may allow thesystem to be more accurate in making a determination of a user's statusin a sharing or presentation mode environment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example presence status display that may bepresented in a collaborative environment. The presence status display302 shown in diagram 300 may provide specific information regarding auser's (publisher) availability or status of sharing or presenting toother users in a collaborative environment. The presence status display302 may be provided over a network to any or all users within thecollaborative environment through a presence channel, so that any userwithin the network may receive status information about other userswithin the network, and the presence status display 302 may be viewed oneach individual user's computing device display. The presence statusdisplay 302 may be generated and continuously updated in order toprovide status information about each of the users in the collaborativeenvironment.

Presence status display rendering of the sharing/presenting state mayemploy text and/or graphics (e.g., icons) to display user status 306indicating whether or not the publisher is in a shared display (310) orpresenting state (308). User status 306 may further indicate whether theuser is available or not (312). Presence status display 302 may alsoindicate an actual meeting in which the presentation is occurring, whothe material is being presented to (i.e., which people are viewing), howmany people are being presented to, and/or the environment in which thepresentation is occurring (e.g., large auditorium, small conferenceroom, private office, etc.). Presence status display 302 may furtherindicate the mechanism by which the presentation is occurring (e.g.projector, desktop sharing) and if any software is being used for thepresentation (e.g., presentation application 314).

In some embodiments, presence status display 302 may indicate whetherspecialized presentation software or software not specifically designedfor a presentation (e.g., web browser word processing application, etc.)are being used by the publisher. As mentioned previously, presencestatus display 302 may also indicate which users 316 may be sharingdesktops or participating in a presentation among available users 304for communication. This information may enable a user (also referred toa watcher herein) to determine whether privacy measures are warranted ina communication session with the publisher or not.

In another example embodiment, the system may also allow a user tospecify user preference settings 322, where a user may overrideautomatic detection and may inform the system of unavailability due tosharing or presentation modes, and additionally, a user may specify thatcertain users may be able to communicate, send emails, send instantmessages, or certain alerts may be allowed during presentation orsharing modes. Further, a user may preset who can communicate with theuser during sharing made and also what type of communication or alertsmay be received during a sharing or presentation mode.

In a system according to embodiments, the presence status display 302may be generated and continuously updated in order to provide specificinformation regarding the sharing or presentation status of a user inthe network. In another embodiment, the presence status display 302 maybe configured to display when future sharing modes may be scheduled andby and between which particular users within the network. Additionally,a user may customize the type of status information displayed on thepresence status display 302 and the level of detail included in thepresence status display according to each individual user's preferencesand priorities. As discussed previously, the presenting status may alsobe used as a signal before initiating an audio/video call, where theinitiator may not have been paying attention to visual signal or doesnot have capability to view presence.

FIG. 4 illustrates example components of a system for providing apresentation/sharing status through presence information. In diagram400, a number of example heuristics input mechanisms are shown forillustration purposes. These may include calendar data 412, desktopduplication detection 414, desktop sharing detection 416, other sensors418 (such as microphones, video capture equipment, etc.) feeding into aheuristic engine 410.

Heuristic engine 410 may compute employing one or more algorithmswhether or not publisher 406 is in a display sharing state or presentingto others. The results may be adjusted based on user preferences 408 andprovided to a presence server 404, which may publish the state through apresence channel to other users (e.g., watcher 402). Watcher 402 maythen determine whether they want to establish (or continue) acommunication session with the publisher 406 and/or take proper privacymeasures.

According to some embodiments, other information may be derived from orcombined with the presenting status. For example, the system maydetermine based on one or more heuristics that the user (publisher) ispresenting and is in a manager's private conference room. Thus, thepublished information may look like “Publisher is presenting to theManager!” as the presence state. It should be noted, that this does notchange the heuristic to detect whether the publisher is presenting(which could be based on the fact the publisher is in that specialconference room—or not), but is based on combining different pieces ofpresence data to create a new outcome. The combination may be performedat different places. For example, presence processing module 405 atpublisher 406 may transform what is published based on the combinationor processing module 401 may transform what is actually displayed basedon received presence information (different pieces of presenceinformation).

The example systems in FIG. 1 through 4 have been described withspecific devices, applications, and interactions. Embodiments are notlimited to systems according to these example configurations. A systemfor detecting a sharing mode environment and providing a presence statusdisplay in a collaborative environment may be implemented inconfigurations employing fewer or additional components and performingother tasks. Furthermore, specific protocols and/or interfaces may beimplemented in a similar manner using the principles described herein.

FIG. 5 is an example networked environment, where embodiments may beimplemented. A system for detecting a sharing mode environment andproviding a presence status display in a collaborative environment maybe implemented via software executed over one or more servers 514 suchas a hosted service. The platform may communicate with clientapplications on individual computing devices such as a smart phone 513,a laptop computer 512, or desktop computer 511 ('client devices')through network(s) 510.

Client applications executed on any of the client devices 511-513 mayfacilitate communications via application(s) executed by servers 514, oron individual server 516. An application executed on one of the serversmay facilitate the detection of a sharing mode environment and providinga presence status display in a collaborative environment. Theapplication may retrieve relevant data from data store(s) 519 directlyor through database server 518, and provide requested services (e.g.document editing) to the user(s) through client devices 511-513.

Network(s) 510 may comprise any topology of servers, clients, Internetservice providers, and communication media. A system according toembodiments may have a static or dynamic topology. Network(s) 510 mayinclude secure networks such as an enterprise network, an unsecurenetwork such as a wireless open network, or the Internet. Network(s) 510may also coordinate communication over other networks such as PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN) or cellular networks. Furthermore,network(s) 510 may include short range wireless networks such asBluetooth or similar ones. Network(s) 510 provide communication betweenthe nodes described herein. By way of example, and not limitation,network(s) 510 may include wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infraredand other wireless media.

Many other configurations of computing devices, applications, datasources, and data distribution systems may be employed to implement aplatform for detecting a sharing mode environment and providing apresence status display in a collaborative environment. Furthermore, thenetworked environments discussed in FIG. 5 are for illustration purposesonly. Embodiments are not limited to the example applications, modules,or processes.

FIG. 6 and the associated discussion are intended to provide a brief,general description of a suitable computing environment in whichembodiments may be implemented. With reference to FIG. 6, a blockdiagram of an example computing operating environment for an applicationaccording to embodiments is illustrated, such as computing device 600.In a basic configuration, computing device 600 may be any computingdevice executing a presence based application according to embodimentsand include at least one processing unit 602 and system memory 604.Computing device 600 may also include a plurality of processing unitsthat cooperate in executing programs. Depending on the exactconfiguration and type of computing device, the system memory 604 may bevolatile (such as RAM), non-volatile (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.)or some combination of the two. System memory 604 typically includes anoperating system 605 suitable for controlling the operation of theplatform, such as the WINDOWS® operating systems from MICROSOFTCORPORATION of Redmond, Wash. The system memory 604 may also include oneor more software applications such as program modules 606, presenceapplication 622, and heuristic module 624.

Heuristic module 624 may enable a computing device 600 to continuallydetect a sharing mode environment and/or a presentation modeenvironment, based on the variety of factors and detection mechanisms.Through the heuristic module 624, presence application 622 may publishdisplay sharing and/or presentation state of a user along with theuser's presence status to other users within a collaborative networkenvironment. Presence application 622 and heuristic module 624 may beseparate applications or integrated modules of a hosted service. Thisbasic configuration is illustrated in FIG. 6 by those components withindashed line 608.

Computing device 600 may have additional features or functionality. Forexample, the computing device 600 may also include additional datastorage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example,magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage isillustrated in FIG. 6 by removable storage 609 and non-removable storage610. Computer readable storage media may include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information, such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Systemmemory 604, removable storage 609 and non-removable storage 610 are allexamples of computer readable storage media. Computer readable storagemedia includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory orother memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical storage, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store thedesired information and which can be accessed by computing device 600.Any such computer readable storage media may be part of computing device600. Computing device 600 may also have input device(s) 612 such askeyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device, andcomparable input devices. Output device(s) 614 such as a display,speakers, printer, and other types of output devices may also beincluded. These devices are well known in the art and need not bediscussed at length here.

Computing device 600 may also contain communication connections 616 thatallow the device to communicate with other devices 618, such as over awired or wireless network in a distributed computing environment, asatellite link, a cellular link, a short range network, and comparablemechanisms. Other devices 618 may include computer device(s) thatexecute communication applications, web servers, and comparable devices.Communication connection(s) 616 is one example of communication media.Communication media can include therein computer readable instructions,data structures, program modules, or other data. By way of example, andnot limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wirednetwork or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic,RF, infrared and other wireless media.

Example embodiments also include methods. These methods can beimplemented in any number of ways, including the structures described inthis document. One such way is by machine operations, of devices of thetype described in this document.

Another optional way is for one or more of the individual operations ofthe methods to be performed in conjunction with one or more humanoperators performing some. These human operators need not be collocatedwith each other, but each can be only with a machine that performs aportion of the program.

FIG. 7 illustrates a logic flow diagram for a process 700 of providing apresence status display for presentation or sharing state in acollaborative environment according to embodiments. Process 700 may beimplemented on a client device communicating with a presence server or aserver coupled to a client device.

Process 700 begins with operation 710, where the system determineswhether a user (“publisher”) is in a display sharing and/or presentationmode based on detection of desktop sharing software, displayconnections, calendar data, and comparable methods. Whether the user isin a presentation mode may also be determined based on detecting a typeof computing device employed by the user. For example, the user may signon to a room system device for conference or meeting sessions such as asmart board or a computer connected to a projector only and use it forpresenting. In such cases, the system may detect activity through theroom system and not necessarily based on a sharing application orsecondary display on the user's machine.

At operation 720, publisher preferences relating to thepresentation/display sharing status may be analyzed to determine whatinformation is to be published to other users and if any of the statusinformation needs to be overridden. This may be followed by operation730, where a presence status display presented to other users based onthe publisher's presence information is updated. The presence statusdisplay may include publisher's presentation/display sharing state.

At operation 740, the publisher's presentation/display sharinginformation is presented to other users (“watchers”) through thepresence status display such that they can determine whether or not tocontinue/initiate a communication session with the publisher or takeproper privacy measures. If a watcher decides to initiate or continue anexisting communication session, the session may be facilitated atoperation 750.

The operations included in process 700 are for illustration purposes.Sharing and presentation environment detection and providing a presencestatus display may be implemented by similar processes with fewer oradditional steps, as well as in different order of operations using theprinciples described herein.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the composition of theembodiments. Although the subject matter has been described in languagespecific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to beunderstood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims and embodiments.

1. A method at least partially executed on a computing device forproviding a presenting and/or display sharing state through a presencechannel, the method comprising: determining whether a user is in atleast one of a presenting mode and a display sharing mode; incorporatingthe at least one of the presenting mode and the display sharing mode ina presence status of the user; and publishing the user's presence statusto at least one other user.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: analyzing one or more preferences of the user; and modifyingat least a portion of the published presence status based on the one ormore preferences of the user.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining whether the user is in a display sharing modebased on detecting duplication of the user's display interface onto oneor more displays.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining whether the user is in a display sharing mode based ondetecting duplication of the user's display onto a second user's displayvia a desktop sharing application.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining whether the user is in a display sharing modebased on one of a visual detection of two or more people in proximity ofthe user's display and an audio detection of two or more people inproximity of the user's display.
 6. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining whether the user is in a presentation mode basedon detecting one of a location of the user's computing device and a typeof computing device used by the user.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining whether the user is in a presentation mode basedon detecting an active application designed for presentations on theuser's computing device.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:determining whether the user is in at least one of a presenting mode anda display sharing mode based on data from a calendar applicationassociated with the user.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:enabling at least one from a set of: disabling message displays, pop-upmenus, request displays, and alert displays while the user is operatingin one of the display sharing mode and the presentation mode; andproviding one of an audio signal and a voice prompt alerting a callerattempting to establish one of an audio and a video communicationsession while the user is operating in one of the display sharing modeand the presentation mode.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein thepublished presence status includes at least one from a set of: a type ofdisplay sharing mode, a location of the user, availability of the firstuser, one or more users involved in the display sharing mode, and a typeof application facilitating one of the display sharing mode and thepresentation mode.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein publishedpresence status information is customizable based on user preferencesfor level of detail to be included in presenting the presence status toother users.
 12. A computing device for providing a presenting and/ordisplay sharing state through a presence channel, the computing devicecomprising: a memory; a processor coupled to the memory, the processorexecuting an application generating a presence status display thatincludes presenting and/or display sharing state information, whereinthe application is configured to: determine whether a user is in atleast one of a presenting mode and a display sharing mode; update apresence status of the user with the presenting and/or display sharingstate; publish the user's presence status to at least one other user;enable rendering of the presence status display on a computing deviceassociated with the at least one other user displaying presenting and/ordisplay sharing state information for the user.
 13. The computing deviceof claim 12, wherein the application is further configured to: determinewhether the user is in a display sharing mode based on at least one froma set of: detecting duplication of the user's display interface onto oneor more displays; detecting duplication of the user's display onto asecond user's display via a desktop sharing application; a visualdetection of two or more people in proximity of the user's display; andan audio detection of two or more people in proximity of the user'sdisplay.
 14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the applicationis further configured to: determine whether the user is in apresentation mode based on detecting a location of the user's computingdevice; detecting an active application designed for presentations onthe user's computing device; and data from a calendar applicationassociated with the user.
 15. The computing device of claim 14, whereinthe application is further configured to determine whether the activeapplication designed for presentations is in a presentation mode. 16.The computing device of claim 14, wherein the location of the user'scomputing device includes one of a geospatial location and a locationrelative to an infrastructure.
 17. The computing device of claim 12,wherein the application is further configured to: determine whether theuser is in a presentation mode based on detecting an activecommunication application on the user's computing device.
 18. Thecomputing device of claim 12, wherein the presence status display isconfigured to display an availability status of the user, a type ofdisplay sharing mode for the user, a location of the user in displaysharing mode, a mechanism used for the display sharing mode, one or moreusers involved in display sharing, and a type of applicationfacilitating the display sharing mode.
 19. A computer-readable storagedevice with instructions stored thereon for providing a presentingand/or display sharing state through a presence channel, theinstructions comprising: determining whether a user is in a displaysharing mode based on at least one from a set of: detecting duplicationof the user's display interface onto one or more displays; detectingduplication of the user's display onto a second user's display via adesktop sharing application; a visual detection of two or more people inproximity of the user's display; and an audio detection of two or morepeople in proximity of the user's display; determining whether the useris in a presentation mode based on detecting a location of the user'scomputing device; detecting an active application designed forpresentations on the user's computing device; and data from a calendarapplication associated with the user; updating a presence status of theuser with the presenting and/or display sharing state; and publishingthe user's presence status to at least one other user.
 20. Thecomputer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the instructionsfurther comprise: continuously providing presence status updates thatinclude presenting and/or display sharing state of the user through apresence channel.